Vatican City
The smallest country in the world offers the heart of Catholicism and among the
world's finest art collections, including the Sistine Chapel and the Raphael
Rooms (ceiling pictured). Go to Vatican City!

Austria
Belvedere Palace (pictured) is just one of many palaces found in Vienna. The capital
is a good start to Austria, which also features the Alps, the Lakes District, and
incredible history & food. Go Now!

Latvia
Latvia is small, but has a diverse history, foods, and architecture (shown), which
includes aspects from both Eastern and Western Europe. Begin Your
Journey!

Culture & Identity of Ireland

Introduction

The daily way of life in Ireland is somewhat varied, particularly due to differences
between the people living in cities and those living in the urban areas. About 60%
of the people live in the cities and where an individual lives somewhat alters the
culture.

In cities the way of life is strongly dictated by the pulse of the city as most
places are close to each other, public transportation is available, and jobs are
generally accessible. In the country things tend to take more time, but life seems
to also move a bit more slowly so there is little rush.

Most people, no matter their location, begin work at about 9:00 am, but farmers
tend to begin and end with the sun during the summer months. After making their
way to work, and the children get to school, which begins at about 9:00 am, the
day is filled with work or school for most people. The school day tends to end at
about 2:00 or 3:00 pm and work generally ends at about 5:00 pm, at which time traffic
increases as most people head home for the evening.

Evenings are often times spent at home after the long workday and children often
times have school work or an after school activity. Weekends tend to be when people
get out, out on the town, out to a museum, out to the country, or anywhere else.
How the Irish spend their free time is quite individual, but the people are generally
quite social and most working people make enough money to enjoy their time off.

Identity

Most people in Ireland will identify as being Irish and
are quite proud of this, however the way people identify and the definition of what
it means to be Irish are slowly changing. In one way, being Irish simply means a
person is ethnically Irish, but to many people, an integral aspect of being "Irish"
is being Catholic so many Protestants are no longer included in this identity or
are not identifying as Irish, even though they might be ethnically Irish. Many of
these Irish Protestants struggle to find a single identity. Ethnic Irish in Northern
Ireland may consider themselves "British,"
and the Protestant Irish in the Republic of Ireland may identify in numerous ways.
To each individual, how Irish is defined varies; on one extreme a person must be
ethnically Irish, be Catholic, and live in Ireland and on the other extreme a person
only needs to be ethnically Irish, as religious affiliation and nationality are
less important.